Most of the rumors that we've gotten over the past few months about the 2015 flagship smartphone of Korean electronics company LG Mobile have turned out to be highly accurate as we saw the official announcement of LG G4 last April 28, 2015.

"We are thrilled to globally introduce the outstanding LG G4, letting consumers see and feel optimal greatness in a smartphone," said Mr. Jay Won, LG Mobile Philippines Vice President. "From the design to the camera to the display to the user experience, the LG G4 is undoubtedly the most ambitious phone LG has ever created, promising world-class performance and no disappointment."

Design

As you can see in these images (in photos posted in TP's previous rumor round-up entries), the LG G4 is available in handcrafted, full-grain leather in three attractive colors. The natural, vegetable-tanned leather is not only environmentally-friendly but also luxurious as opposed to the faux-leather polycarbonate material that other smartphones have. Other material options for the LG G4 back cover are pure Ceramic White with 3D patterns, artisan-forged Black Titan (Metallic Gray) and lustrous Shiny Gold.

According to LG, "The comfortable elegance of the LG G4 is a refreshing change from the uniformly flat, full metal designs that have been become standard across the industry. The LG G4’s design is defined by the Slim Arc, which runs along its entire body, highlighted by a display with a subtle curvature. More than just a design accent, Slim Arc offers more durability than a flat smartphone in face-down drops and gives the smartphone a more comfortable and secure feel in the hand."

Display

The LG G4 sports the same size and resolution as last year’s G3, with a 5.5-inch Quad HD (2560 x 1440) resolution with a slight curve to it, almost too subtle that I bet some users might not even notice it.

Despite having similar characteristics as its predecessor, the G4’s screen now uses its IPS Quantum Display technology, LG’s new screen tech. It is said to be 50 percent higher in contrast and 50 percent brighter compared to regular LCDs which translates to having better outdoor visibility. Not to worry though, the higher brightness is compensated by the new screen tech, and is said to be a very energy efficient one, according to LG.

Camera

The camera is said to be one of the G4’s best features, coming with an f/1.8 aperture and a 16 MegaPixel sensor. The usual LG goodies are there, such as the laser autofocus, and OIS 2.0. The specs sheet of the camera screams nothing but awesome – higher resolution shots which capture 80 percent more light.

In addition to that, LG’s G4 is the first smartphone to feature a color spectrum sensor, a component that recognizes ambient light and objects. Truer whites can be easier determined for a more accurate color balance that doesn’t need any tinkering from the WB settings. Other features include saving in RAW format, as well as a manual mode that lets the users adjust the shutter speed, ISO, white balance and more.

As for the front-facing shooter, LG has opted for a larger 8MP wide-angle camera, a huge upgrade from the former’s 2.1MP setup. As a result, the front facing camera can facilitate selfies a lot easier, with the front-facing light and gesture controlled shutter also improved to make capturing selfie moments a lot easier.

Battery and Storage

Since LG also hails from South Korea, its biggest rival is Samsung, and I think LG wins this part by a long shot. Putting it in simply, the LG G4 has a removable battery and a microSD card slot. Whereas Samsung decided to go with a non-removable approach, LG did the exact opposite. The G4 has a removable 3,000 mAh battery, while internal storage is at 32 GB. The microSD card, on the other hand, is capable of up to 200 GB of storage capacity but it doesn’t end there – anyone buying the phone gets 100 GB of Google Drive space for free. Now that’s a lot of storage space!

Processor and RAM

The LG G4 is a powerhouse. However LG opted instead for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808 for their 2015 flagship instead of the Snapdragon 810, coupled with 3 GB of RAM. Don’t fret, the 808 is a very capable processor but the 810 really did have a rough start ever since its announcement earlier this year, with overheating issues, and even Samsung using their own Exynos line for their Galaxy S6. The main reason behind the choice, according to Qualcomm’s marketing head Tim McDonough, is that LG’s decision had a lot to do with cost since the 808 is cheaper to produce. The Snapdragon 810, on the other hand, was the first one to be produced, which is why LG included the SoC in the G Flex 2. In addition to that, McDonough states that “the decisions on which chipsets to put on which handsets come from over a year ago”.

According to McDonough, both chipsets are “very much cut from the same cloth”, but the 810 has 8 cores while the 808 has 6. As for the GPU, the 810 contains the Adreno 430 GPU, which is more capable for ultra-HD scenarios compared to the 808’s Adreno 418.

LG G3 from 2014 and its successor, the LG G4, respectively. All photos in this post are courtesy of PocketNow.

As for the software, the G4 runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop with LG’s custom interface on top. The OS was created with Google users in mind, making Google’s suite of productivity apps bundled in with the software, with Chrome as the default browser. Furthermore, other native apps like the gallery, music, and file explorer apps have Google’s Drive directly integrated into them.

Release Date and Pricing Information

LG Mobile hasn't issued an official word about the exact price and release date of the LG G4 in its key markets around the world including the Philippines. However, trusted sources have disclosed that the battleship smartphone should hit store shelves in various territories sometime in Q3 2015 with SRP of $649 US for the Single-SIM versions with plastic back cover and $699 for those that flaunt genuine leather.

Based on that information, our TechPinas Guesstimate for its local release is also within the third quarter and for its price, we're putting it in the range of Php 28,000 to Php 30,000 for the variants with plastic back plate and Php 31,000 to Php 33,000 for those that feature genuine leather. Stay tuned for updates regarding the availability of this 2015 flagship model in the Philippines, TP Friends!

Update as of May 28, 2015: LG G4 has just been officially launched in the Philippines via an exclusive event at the Solaire Resort, which TP graced. LG G4 Genuine Leather variants sell for Php 32,990 per unit and are available in Brown, Black, and Red. LG G4 Metallic Finish variants, on the other hand, sell for Php 31,990 and are available in Shiny Gold, Black Titan, and Ceramic White. All official LG G4 models that will be released in the country upon launch have Dual SIM capability.

#TPWriterFellows Batch 1 Member and DLSU student, Nico Aguila is the self-proclaimed 'official' tech support guy of his friends. He's always ready to give you tips and tricks with Android devices and even gives you advice on which phone or tablet you should get whether it be running on Android, iOS, or Windows Phone operating system. Nico sees TechPinas as the best tech website in the Philippines and also as his safe haven when he reads tech news that is happening in the country. When he graduates, Nico plans to find a stable job in tech, have a family when he can, and of course, expose his future kids to technology and TechPinas so that they'll enjoy great bonding times together.